EU asks Greece to explain contract award to OPAP

BRUSSELS Feb 19 (Reuters) - Greece must explain how domestic gaming monopoly OPAP (OPAr.AT) was awarded a technology contract without a public tender, the European Commission said on Thursday.

The EU Internal Market Commission has sent a letter of formal notice to the Greek government asking for an explanation, said a spokesman for Commissioner Charlie McCreevy.

It is the first step in a three-step process. If the issue is not resolved it could end up in front of the European Court of Justice, which has the power to fine the country or make it change its laws if EU public tender rules have been broken.

"It's a tendering issue. It's to find out what happened," McCreevy's spokesman said.

The contract was for an integrated gaming computer system for OPAP, Europe's biggest lottery company, the spokesman said.

The Commission has already launched legal action against Greece over sports betting restrictions.

OPAP has a monopoly over domestic sports bets and lotteries in Greece until 2020. (Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Karen Foster)